Hair loss from IBS

[Yasmine91]

I have a friend who suffers from IBS (irritable bowl syndrome) and has a lot of insane hair loss. Her hair has recently gotten a little better but it still sheds a lot.

Will castor oil help her hair to grow a little more? she really needs something to help her.

[Tiina]

It won't hurt to try but since it is an internal problem, it should first of all be treated as an internal problem. This hairloss is happening because the body lacks nutrients and building blocks required to grow hair. It can be helped by taking vitamins and supplements such as biotin or msm. Or maybe try rogaine. She might want to consult a doctor before starting to take them though.

[kitten1986]

IBS means that her small intestine is not absorbing the nutrients from food the way it should be, and nutrient deficient = hair fall, bad skin etc.
Castor Oil is a laxative when taken internally, therefor this is a REALLY bad idea to drink it because that will only decrease the amount of nutrients being absorbed.
She could try topical Castor Oil, but I think that a first port of call would be some really good multi vitamins and a trip to the doc to help the IBS. She can discuss her hair loss concerns with the doc too who might refer her to a trichologist if he thinks it is serious.

[Yasmine91]

I was thinking of her putting castor oil on her hair and scalp, but it seems like it wont really help her is it? :(

[Tiina]

I was thinking of her putting castor oil on her hair and scalp, but it seems like it wont really help her is it? :(

Some people have reported an increased growth, but there is no scientific evidence to support it. It has antibacterial and antifungicidal properties so it helps people who suffer from scalp problems. However at least in my experience castor oil makes hair very nice and shiny so even if it doesn't improve growth, it still is a good beauty treatment. :)

[Yasmine91]

Cool, she bought her a bottle today for her to try. I hope it works, she'd be so happy :)

[Centaur]

Attack the IBS. She needs probiotics and digestive enzymes to help her absorb nutrients.

[jera]

Emu oil is another possibility, but i really think treating her her IBS is the best solution to the problem. When she's absorbing nutrient's normally again her hair should improve. :)

She could try adding biotin and MSM supplements to her diet as well as eating biotin rich foods, like eggs and swiss chard.

[Purdy Bear]

As I have Leaky Gut Syndrome and was said to have IBS before the correction, I know exactly what she needs.

Eatting: Garlic or the onion family for antibacterial/antibiotic, Pineapple contains natural stomach enzymes, Pro Biotic yoghurts, and globe artichokes. All heal the gut quicker then the tablet form of acidophilus.

Others: IBS I believe can also be made worse by stress, so lots of relation, and fun times.

Im not sure if the IBS is causing the hair loss as I already had some Alopecia Areata before I had gut problems. Since Iv improved my nutrition I have had some regrowth.

[virgo75]

IBS and hair loss could be smaller symptoms of a bigger problem(for ex.: thyroid, PCOS, vitamin/mineral deficiency, etc.). She should get full blood work done.

[RitaPG]

Others: IBS I believe can also be made worse by stress, so lots of relation, and fun times.

This. Stress will definitely make her bowels worse. Make sure she is fun and relaxed.

I tried castor oil on its own and it was impossible to use for a scalp massage, it just pulled on my hair so if the castor oil is too sticky, you might want to mix it with some other carrier oil.
You're a really sweet friend for helping her with that. :)

[vintersaga]

I also think she should look over her eatings. :) Maybe there's something her stomach just don't like or can take care of. I've had similar problems. The doctors said it could be IBS because they didn't find anything else that was wrong. I've tried almost everything, excluding particular provisions, taking vitamins (though all the tests says I don't lack anything), eating more fibers (it only made things worse) and drinking lots of water.

I've had several medicines to reduce the symptoms.
Nothing seemed to help but then I learned to listen to my stomach. Some days I can eat apples, some days not. Some days I can eat bread, and some not. I find it easier to eat crispbread than regular bread.

I think it can help her if she tries to think of what she's eating, and listen to what her stomach tells her. It is usually right. :) If stomach says no - it's usually no good. Also for me it took a long while for my IBS to settle down after I started listening to it. It needed time to "heal". Still I have problems if I eat to much of something, or something that my stomach really don't want, but now we have a much friendlier relation, my stomach and I. It is my experience too that IBS gets worse under stress.

[Yasmine91]

Thank you so much for contributing. She does have other issues like the nutrient deficiancies. She also has Celiac disease, very high gluten intolerance.

[MsBubbles]

I have UC (Ulcerative Colitis). 5 years ago I had a nasty bout of it and lost half my hair thickness. I was able to get my insides settled by following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet by Elaine Gottschalk (very close to the Paleo Diet). It was tough going but doable. After about 3 months, my insides calmed down and I was once again able to absorb iron, etc. I blame my hairloss on lack of iron. I lost SOOO much weight (and SOOO much hair).

If your friend is taking meds for the IBS, that might be causing the hairloss too.

If she is gluten intolerant, the Specific Carbohydrate Diet will give her some wheat-free food ideas.

[Peggy E.]

I've got Crohn's and have found that I can guage an attack by the increase of shedding. Doesn't seem to make much difference what I do, it's going to shed.

My Crohn's is almost purely stress-driven (I've found out the hard way...), and I do take meds for it - it's horrid to go through. I try to take the best care of my hair possible, but know that there's only so much I can do when dealing with the series of auto-immune diseases I'm lucky enough to be hosting.... :o(

[SheaLynne]

She also has Celiac disease, very high gluten intolerance.

This is very serious and it sounds like she could use some help with how to live/eat with celiac. If she is not following the diet properly, she is endangering her health and her life. If she is trying her best, she probably needs some help with how to avoid cross-contamination or in determining if there are other food sensitivities.

IMO this does not sound like a problem from generic IBS at all. She needs to find a good doctor who will help her manage her celieac disease.

Please send her my regards and hugs from a fellow celiac.

[Peashy]

I don't know if this thread is too old, but this is exactly the same problem I have. I suffer terribly with IBS and I know I do get stressed but I usually have to work too much to de-stress.

The amount of hair loss I get seems really high when I have looked at hair shedding threads on here. I didn't worry too much as I kept telling myself you can lose over 100 hairs a day and that is normal...but looking at some pics of 'high shedding' I seem to lose alot more, and I am concerned it feels really thin on my crown at the back. (I have actually asked the hair dresser to look at it many times). I always brush to detangle before going in the shower and I have to empty the brush after this, then I lose so much in the bath whilst washing - I do have something to stop my drains getting blocked ¬_¬ and then I STILL get lots of hair in my combs and brushes as I attempt to dry it. Is this really normal?? My hair is really fine and I don't have too much of it :confused:

[midnightwolf]

I have the same problem. I shed a lot, and i have a stomach problem which is probably IBS (they said IBS cant be diagnosed, you can only rule out other conditions, and they don't think i have Celiac disease). I get major stomach cramps when i drink caffeine, eat wheat, gluten, eggs, dairy and pulses. The problem is its not consistent, sometimes i can be ok with something (for example chocolate) another time it will give me extremely painful cramps. This could link with stress but im not sure. I eat mainly rice and meat. I also sometimes eat the free from foods like cake, but a lot of these contain dairy so i have to avoid them.

What should i add to my diet to make sure im getting the right nutrition for my hair? and what vitamins should i be taking?

[Anje]

IBS can't really be tested for and is a diagnosis of exclusion (have it, in remission for the last few years!), but you really do need to have some tests done and get scoped to rule out more serious problems like celiac and the inflammatory bowel diseases Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis. Those all should be ruled out, because they can be treated and dealt with, and they can be deadly if they progress.

Please, if you think you have IBS, make sure you've been checked for more serious diseases.

[midnightwolf]

Iv had many blood tests and the doctors have said they all look fine.

[Peashy]

Well luckily for me it was my old doctor years ago that diagnosed my IBS (although stomach issues do run in all the women in my family :(). I say luckily as the doctor I have now doesn't seem to be too interested in testing for anything. A few months ago I started to lose quite alot of weight (I say started as I didn't know then how much weight exactly I was going to lose) and while at work I would get so dizzy and nearly collapse everytime I stood up from being crouched down or sitting. I was told constantly that it may possibly be an iron deficiency and that some supplements would probably help sort this but that I should see my doctor about it to be sure. FINALLY, my manager at work convinced me to go and see my doctor who took one look at me (in make-up after finishing work) and said well you don't look like you have an iron deficiency and said it was most likely sinus issues. I'm not questioning his diagnoses as such, some simple nasal sprays certainly did help the situation, but I just feel that a simple test would have made sure there was nothing else wrong. Now I am two stone lighter (the lightest I have been in years) and my hair just seems to be falling out all over the place. :undecided

[Peashy]

Since my post I have actually seen lots of info on extreme shedding and now I don't feel quite so worried. It may be that I am not getting quite the nutrients my hair would like but I may try Biotin and MSM supplements for a while and see if there is any noticeable difference. From what I have read so far there certainly doesn't seem like it can be harmful :)

[Annalouise]

I have Celiac Disease and my doctor tells me I have IBS although I think it is a side effect of the Celiac Disease.

Anyways, if she is eating gluten then nothing she puts on her head, nor vitamins or even enzymes will help. She has to stop eating all glutens. Full stop.

Her hair will only be restored when her gut is healed and her gut will only heal if she eats ZERO gluten. She might also have other food intolerances which will need to be examined as well.

I recommend she go on the paleo diet and remove all grains and sugars and dairy along with glutens. Just eat some grass fed meats and vegetables for one month. Then she can start to reintroduce other foods one at a time.:)

This is extremely difficult to do but probably the best thing. If this is too difficult then she should just go 100% gluten free by eliminating processed foods and only eating things that are labelled as "gluten free." (The problem with this approach is she won't discover other food intolerances).

There is no point in wasting money on supplements if you are not able to absorb any of the nutrients. She MUST stop eating gluten that is the ONLY way she can have any good health ever. Or good hair for that matter.

[Anje]

Why are you bumping a 6 year old thread to tell people what they already know about their own disorder?
Deleted spam post, nevermind.